Friday, July 3, 2009

The Future of Community: Reports of a Death Greatly Exaggerated

Eds: Martin Earnshaw, Dave Clements, Alastair Donald & Austin Williams (Pluto Press)


We are constantly being told that we are losing a ‘sense of community’. This book shows that the notion of community is actually under threat from the very thing supposed to protect it: relentless government intervention.
The family and collective institutions have certainly suffered in the face of market forces and moralising. But, the authors argue, a far bigger threat to social solidarities comes from the crisis of political confidence. Replacing a political vision for society with instrumental attempts to create ‘community’ has given rise to unelected ‘community leaders’, and formalised community relationships to the detriment of traditional freedoms. This book argues that for genuine communities to flourish we need a space, free from official intervention, where people can confidently negotiate their own relations.

Visit the Future of Community Blog here: http://www.futureofcommunity.org.uk/

Via The Future Cities Project - Publications

Thursday, July 2, 2009

ProstoRož Ljubljana



ProstoRož is an event created by a group of three architects, dedicated to exposing and tackling the weaknesses of public space as it presents itself in Ljubljana. It basically consists of a series of tiny interventions in the city spaces of Ljubljana and its main goal is to bring the state and meaning of public space to general attention.
The project often addresses neglected, remote areas, which are not put to any use, but could be transformed into dynamic and friendly spaces.

Read More:
http://www.rali.boku.ac.at/fileadmin/_/landscape-xperiments/Korenja_Alenka_01.pdf